Wrist exercising device for drummers



Sept. 12, 1967 Q PERRETTA 3,341,196

WRIST EXERCISING DEVICEVFOR DRUMMERS Filed July 6, 1965 Fla /0 mvmwox. ARTHUR O. PERRETTA m 27 W M 4 W United States Patent 3,341,196 WRIST EXERCISING DEVICE FOR DRUMMERS Arthur 0. Perretta, 17 Haynes St., Hartford, Conn. 06103 Filed July 6, 1965, Ser. No. 469,596 2 Claims. (Cl. 272-67) This invention relates generally to hand-held exercising devices for drummers and deals more particularly with an elongated device which is so designed that it fits into the users hand and supports the users thumb in an ideal or optimum position to achieve maximum benefit from oscillating the device in an exercising movement.

A general object of the present invention is to provide an exercising device of the foregoing character which strengthens the drummers wrist and supports his thumb in an optimum position relative to the longitudinal axis of the device so that after practicing with such a device, he will be encouraged to grasp an actual drumstick in an ideal manner with his thumb in a particular position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wrist exercising device for drummers which is of simple construction and may be made from relatively inexpensive material such as wood or plastic so as to be well adapted to low cost-high quantity production. 7

The drawing shows a preferred embodiment of the invention and such embodiment will be described, but it will be understood that various changes may be made from the construction disclosed, and that the drawing and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Of the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exercising device constructed in accordance with the present invention in which there is also shown a hand grasping the device in a particular manner.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 ,of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

Turning now to the drawing in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows a wrist exercising device of the present invention, indicated generally at 10, and a right hand 12 grasping the device in the recommended manner and in a position for oscillating the device in an exercising movement in which the forearm is held generally stationary and the hand oscillated about the longitudinal axis of the forearm, as shown generally at 14.

As so held, opposite ends of the device, indicated generally at 16 and 18, are adapted to describe equal arcs about the axis 14 in an oscillating movement calculated to strengthen the wrist of the user of the present device. It will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art that the indicated manner of grasping the device does not correspond to the conventional manner of grasping a conventional drumstick. For example, a left-handed drummer would usually grasp one stick in an overhand manner with his left hand, and the other stick in his right hand, would be held with two fingers above and two fingers below the drumstick. It has been found by those who instruct prospective and novice drummers that the last-mentioned manner of grasping a drumstick is an unnatural one unless the drummer provides a fulcrum for the stick by cocking his thumb at an angle to the sticks axis so that the thumb extends outwardly in a generally straight manner to provide a cradle for supporting the "ice weight of the stick. Novice drummers experience some difiiculty in so positioning their thumbs and it is an important feature of the present invention that the thumb is securely held in this optimum position while the drummer is using the exercising device shown.

In accordance with the present invention, the device 10 comprises an elongated member of generally elliptical cross section as best revealed in FIG. 3. Preferably, and as shown relatively in FIG. 1 by reference to the scale of the handle 12, a major axis 13 of the ellipse is approximately two inches in extent while its minor axis 15 is approximately 1 /2" to provide a conventient contour for fitting into the hand of the user. In the preferred form shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional shape of the device provides a contoured periphery with portions thereof adjacent the ends of said major axis 13 which are adapted to be engaged by the fingers of the user and to fit the palm of the users hand, respectively, as shown in FIG. 1.

Preferably, and as shown in FIG. 1, the device 10 is adapted to be grasped at or near its midpoint in the manner shown to simulate the balance of an actual drumstick. It will, of course, be apparent that the contour of the member 10 is only significant in the area engaged by the users hand and that the proper balance could be achieved by other means as by adding weights or the like to a somewhat shorter device, or by other means readily apparent to those skilled in the art. It has been found, however, that in the interests of economy of manufacture the present shape is the preferred one.

In order to assure that the user of the present device does, in fact, grasp the same at the proper location, and in order to provide a support for the users thumb so that he will be encouraged to grasp an actual drumstick in the proper manner after practicing with a device of the present invention, an angled thumb opening 20, as best shown in FIG. 2, is defined in the member 10. Preferably, and as shown, the thumb opening 20 comprises a circular hole extending through the member 10 with its axis arranged in the longitudinal plane of the device 10 which includes the major axis of its elliptical cross-sectional shape as revealed in FIG. 3. The longitudinal axis of the opening 20 describes at least a 45 angle with the longitudinal axis of the member 10 as best shown in FIG. 2. While the opening 20 is shown extending all the way through the member 10, it will, of course, be apparent that this opening need not extend any farther than is required to accommodate the thumb of a user. Also in this vein, it will be noted that the member 10 could be grasped in the left hand of a right-handed drummer in the same manner as that shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the device shown can be used by either left or right-handed drummers in exercising their non-dominant hand. In each case the drummer need only insert his thumb in the side most remote from the end 16 of the member 10 as shown in FIG. 1.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in the drawing, the thumb-receiving opening 20 is circular in shape with the axis thereof spaced some five inches from the end 16, and seven inches from the end 18. The axis of said thumb opening 20 is inclined toward the end 16 so as to be spaced approximately 3 /2" from the end 16 when said opening extends through the member 10 as shown. It has been found that with a 12 inch member these dimensions achieve the proper balance required in a Wrist exercising device for drummers, the users hand being approximately centered on the device when it is grasped in the recommended manner.

The invention claimed is:

1. A hand-held wrist exercising device comprising an elongated member capable of being held in the palm of the hand With the ends thereof extending beyond the sides of the hand, said member defining a thumb-receiving opening in at least one side thereof and inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of said member to support the users thumb in a generally straight extended position as the device is oscillated in an exercising movement, said thumb-receiving opening being cylindrical in cross section and extending through said device, and the cross-sectional shape of the device being generally elliptical with the axis of said cylindrical opening lying in the same longitudinal plane with the major axis of said ellipse.

2. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein 4 said thumb-receiving opening has its longitudinal axis describing an angle of at least 45 with the longitudinal axis of the member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1912 Hayls 27367.3 3/1933 Nelson 273-673 FOREIGN PATENTS 359,356 10/1931 Great Britain.

I RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A HAND-HELD EXERCISING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED MEMBER CAPABLE OF BEING HELD IN THE PALM OF THE HAND, WITH THE ENDS THEREOF EXTENDING BEYOND THE SIDES OF THE HAND, SAID MEMBER DEFINING A THUMB-RECEIVING OPENING IN AT LEAST ONE SIDE THEREOF AND INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID MEMBER TO SUPPORT THE USER''S THUMB IN A GENERALLY STRAIGHT EXTENDED POSITION AS THE DEVICE IS OSCILLATED IN AN EXERCISING MOVEMENT, SAID THUMB-RECEIVING OPENING BEING CYLINDRICAL IN CROSS SECTION AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID DEVICE, AND THE CROSS-SECTIONAL 